Parkdale
Merino Stud
1.
Enterprise
description and goals
With my wife, two
sons and two 2 daughters, I own and manage 6,000 breeding ewes on 62,000 acres in
two different areas and the Parkdale Merino Stud of 600 breeding ewes.
I am committed to the
wool and sheep industries.
Goals: Improve the
merino sheep industry, encourage others that merino sheep are a viable, enjoyable
business.
2.
Labour
efficiency and profitability
Areas my business has
improved, breeding merino sheep that require no mulesing and producing a low maintenance
merino with significant wool qualities that enable us to work faster and more efficiently.
We run 5,000 DSE per labour unit. Not mulesing and the easy care sheep gives us more time
to selective mate our ewes and rams and keep good records onlambs, mothers and sire
genetics. Our sheep have shearers keen to come back again, they shear more sheep that are
easy shearing in a learning environment we give learner shearers the opportunity to learn
and take shearers, staff and visitors through the process of understanding why we are
producing these sheep and that the procedure from breeding the lamb to it being shorn and
beyond is extremely important and so is their part in the process. Our costs have
decreased in labour intensive areas (mulesing, shearing, sheep maintenance). Wether lambs
11 mths averaged a live weight of 58kg to top 73kg. 40 weeks of age they cut 4kg 17.9
micron wool. We produce large framed sheep that complement wool and meat industries.
Results are consistent across enterprise, average wool cut of all adult sheep being 8kg
and average 19.8 micron wool.
3. Production
systems
I have built sheep
yards to my requirements that reduce labour time and stress on labourers as well as the
sheep, I have a large cement with shade covered area where handler can work, the cement
reduces dust and is cool in summer, this area includes adjustable draft race with rollers
and raised drenching, classing etc, race. The woolshed has upgraded facilities. The far
west property has exceptional shearing shed with raised board, we are capping & piping
bores for water saving and to enable stock to water from reliable water points which will
also enable easier mustering. Installing cameras at remote watering points to manage
water, stock and environment. Laneways, good fencing and gates enable us to move stock
quickly and efficiently. We use estimated breeding values, fleece testing and SRS
guidelines to produce our high quality merinos.
4.
Enterprise
development
We do yearly budgets
and worktables and review often and manage accordingly, we have marketing plans in place
and discuss, this helps us determine which areas in our enterprise require, what, when,
where and who. I believe that breeding merino sheep that are wrinkle free, produce long,
soft, well aligned fibres of high quality wool on an easy care sheep that does not require
mulesing is value adding at its best. We carry out as many animal health practices,
OH&S discussions and safety plans as possible. We are actively involved in The Central
Genetics group(8 merino studs collectively marketing) Cereal growing, Chairman of the
Dubbo Rural Lands Protection Board, We are participating in a CSIRO bare breech trial.
After studying sheep, the skins are what determine the quality of the fibre, the skin is
what we have to get right to produce a higher quality fibre on merino sheep. Through
changing the skin on our sheep we have been able to reduce micron, gain fleece weights and
produce bare breech sheep that don not require mulesing.
5.
Environmental
impacts and benefits
We rotational crop to
control weeds and maintain pasture and rotational grass to avoid environmental and pasture
damage, water ways are managed by not farming, this allows native grasses to regenerate
and sustain the area, the capping and piping of artesian bores currently being undertaken
allows underground water pressure to be reinstated and will allow for economical use of
available water through tanks and troughs. As custodian of the land I run it makes
economic and environmental good sense to care for all systems under my care.
6.
Your farming
life
My family are very
active in the business and my sons have always shown great interest in sheep especially
merinos, both can shear and crutch when needed as well as all aspects of sheep care, they
advise others about our breeding practices and Robert classes clients flocks. We are
all committed to family and business. We have made our working conditions as enjoyable as
possible and upgrade things when needed to keep a safe and happy environment for all, the
boys play rugby union on Saturdays and train once a week , we all try to attend most games
which we thoroughly enjoy, we have tennis at our home monthly with family and community
members, our daughters attend high school and enjoy tennis.
7.
Your
international study tour
I would like to travel
to areas in Argentina and observe their sheep breeding practices and discuss the sheep and
wool industry with people of a different country and culture to mine. I know that
Argentina run large numbers of sheep and purchase rams and semen from
Australia and I would be very interested to see
them in that environment. |
